DestroyAllGuitars Potvin Guitars

~ Potvin Guitars ~

Since the age of 8, Mike Potvin has been fascinated with guitars. Ironically, it would not be until much later in life before he picked up the instrument with a serious intent to play. Fortunately, in the years leading up to that point he pursued another passion - working with wood. When he was inspired to bring the two passions together, Potvin Guitars was born.

Mike describes himself as equal parts artist and mad scientist. Some designs are born on the backs of napkins and others only after hours of careful design on a CAD workstation. Either way, when he gets goose bumps he knows the design is complete and that its time to make sawdust.

With a careful eye towards design elements, Potvin Guitars strikes a balance between beauty and performance. Mike's respect for tradition along with a desire to create something new has resulted in a familiar yet unique vibe. In Mike's words "Beauty comes in many forms. It can be the physical beauty of a figured top, or it can be the essence of beauty that is found in complete simplicity. Either way, my goal is to craft a guitar that fits like a glove and inspires players to create."

Mike recently introduced two new models, the El Camino and the Ranchero. At a recent guitar show these new models were unofficially dubbed "the working mans' guitars"- a description Mike is both amused by, and very proud of. More designs are in the works, in fact more designs than Mike has time to build!

Potvin Mercury

The Mercury conjures up images of classic 1950s cars with tailfins and gleaming chrome. No matter what your style of playing, the Mercury adds a little retro-cool to the mix...

Potvin Mercury GT

This is the gold-top version of the Potvin Mercury...

Colour: Gold, Body: maple on one piece black walnut, Neck: Black walnut (3 piece), Fretboard: Indian Rosewood, Frets: 22 Medium, Scale Length: 24-3/4", Pickups: Lollar P90s, Controls: Volume / Tone / Tone / 3 Way switch, Bridge: Gotoh TOM, Nut: Aged bone, Tuners: Gotoh 510 mini, Other: Grover strap locks, paper in oil capacitor, Indian rosewood cavity covers, rear comfort carve...

Potvin El Camino

Crunch, meet twang (and everything in between)! The El Camino has probably been best described as a "fun little guitar." It blends the elements of two worlds to yield a familiar yet somehow different creature. Available with standard features but custom alterations are always possible....

Potvin Ranchero

Twang, meet crunch! It feels like your old friend. It even sounds a little like it at low to mid volume, but dial up the volume and let the crunch begin. The crunch comes courtesy of a Jason Lallar P90 that lets the Ranchero do everything from rootsy/country/blues to all out rock. Available with standard features but custom alterations are always possible. Shown here with optional vintage tuners and custom African blackwood/bocote neck...

Potvin Ranchero Grande

The Ranchero Grande is the two pickup version of the Ranchero standard. It has all the simplicity and vibe of it's little brother, but packs a little more punch and versatility. A pair of Lollar P90s easily does everything from crisp clean tones right up the classic P90 crunch with a simple roll of the volume control. All of the Ranchero models feel like classics from the past but feature modern appointments...

Potvin Ranchero Grande Thinline

The Ranchero Grande is the two pickup version of the Ranchero standard. The thinline version adds a touch of class as well as being light weight. For some added thinline vibe, choose the optional filtertrons! All of the Ranchero models feel like classics from the past but feature modern appointments...

Potvin Complete Custom Build

If you have your own ideas for a guitar that is uniquely you, Mike Potvin would love to build it. You get to choose all of your own options such as wood types, hardware, pickups and so on. Mike will at times make suggestions to help improve your design, but in the end what you get is your ideal guitar, built to your exact requirements...